Morning Prayer: Shannon Cook Choral Amen Hymn of Faith *What Does the Lord Require for Praise* Witness of Scripture: Micah 6: 6-8 Anthem *Cantique de Jean Racine* Faure Sermon *Essentials: What is Good* David Spain
Recorded on October 20, 2024
In a sermon series on essentials, these 3 verses from Micah 6 may be the quintessential expression of faith. Like the golden rule or the great commandment, it is a statement of what matters most in religion. As is true with almost everything, hearing the back story deepens the power of what is on the front page. Micah is considered one of the minor prophets, which is not to diminish the importance of his writing, but simply refers to the length of his writing compared to Isaiah or Jeremiah. A contemporary of Isaiah preaching during the 8th century. Micah has been referred to as a ‘country prophet,’ coming not from the powerful urban elite but from the common rural inhabitants, living somewhere southwest of Jerusalem. While Isaiah addressed kings and royalty about matters political, Micah spoke to the people of the towns and villages about everyday life. Prophets are not inclined to soft-pedal their messages, which is why they are seldom invited to congenial dinner parties. Micah’s message is straightforward—the people have traded in their loyalty to God and God’s ways to follow any number of other gods who are always begging for adherents—not foreign gods so much as the gods of prosperity, the gods of skimming off the top at the expense of vulnerable neighbors, the gods of tipping the scales in favor of those who are already favored. It’s not that Micah’s neighbors are displaying golden calves in their front yards and dancing around them at sundown; instead, Micah is reminding his neighbors they have forgotten the essentials of living in covenant with God and with one another. Jesus would later say the essence of religion is to love God and love neighbor…Micah is similarly saying that care for neighbor reveals one’s love for God.
Most prophets got in line twice when imagination was being passed out, and Micah presents a very engaging picture. His is a courtroom drama—God is there and has brought an impressive tribunal to the case. The mountains are there, the hills, the foundations of the earth are judge and jury. Ah, oh, this might not go well for Israel—the deck is stacked against them. And yet, rather than present a list of grievances, God’s opening statement is a call to remember. At first it does sound a bit defensive—“What did I ever do to you to cause you to act this way,” but then God’s case given voice through Micah’s words takes a surprising turn. “Remember Israel, I the Lord God brought you out of slavery from Egypt; remember I gave you leaders during the wilderness
sojourn; remember the waters parted and even though you were tempted to worship other gods I gave you a way of life to follow; and although it was a long and sometimes harrowing journey, you found your way to the land of milk and honey. I have been faithful to you; I have held up my end of the covenant,” pleaded God. Micah builds God’s case as a liturgy of remembrance. “Remember Israel, I promised to be your God and you promised to be my people—we had an agreement, a covenant. As my people, you will live a certain way not to gain my love but because you are my love.” We sing a song that reminds us of this covenant arrangement—‘they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love…”
Since any prophet worth his or her weight loves hyperbole, Micah writes that Israel opted for a defense of absurdity and distraction. “What does it mean to be your people God? How can we set things right with you? How about this—when we come to worship, we will bring the burnt offerings and sacrifice a calf or two; in fact, we’ll do more than that. We will march 1,000 rams right down the center aisle and right up to the holy of holies. We’ll do more than that—we will bring 10,000 rivers of oil and flood the whole sanctuary, now that would be impressive. We’ll do more than that. We will bring our firstborn and sacrifice to you to take care of any transgression. This will prove how religious and pious we are. Sometimes, the best response is no response at all. God, according to Micah, is not impressed by Israel’s offer. So, rather than reject all these pious offerings, God returns to remembering—“I’ve already shown you what it means to be my people—do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.” It may not always be easy, but it is simple—justice…mercy…humility.
Doing justice--not talking justice—doing justice. Beyond the court of crime and punishment, God’s justice is about equity, fairness, care for the vulnerable, addressing systems that keep the balance of power forever tipped toward those who already have most of the power, recognizing the divine imprint in every life—the ones we all know and the ones no one knows. Loving kindness or loving mercy and it may be difficult to fully appreciate the centrality of mercy, which is core to who God is—the God who lives not out of hatred and vengeance but who lives to restore and renew and resurrect what is broken and wounded. The Psalmist repeatedly proclaims God’s steadfast mercy. Walking humbly with God recognizes that who we are is shaped by who God calls us to be, for the fullest way to live is to be the vessel through which the love, the mercy, the grace, the hope, the peace, the joy of God can live. God will not force God’s way into our lives,
but God will always embody those places where space is made for God. As Phillips Brooks wrote in a Christmas hymn “where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
We remember Micah’s courtroom drama for several reasons. We recognize that while Micah 6:8 is simple, it is also profoundly counter-cultural. We are constantly inundated by the self-glorifying, chest-thumping world of politics, athletics, and Tik Tok self-promotion. It has all become more than a little bit distasteful (to under-hyperbolize it!). The air is so thick with egos it can be hard to remember what matters most in life. Micah reminds us what matters most is not aggression, vengeance, and hubris; instead, it is justice, mercy and humility. God has shown us.
And we remember this story for another reason, germane to this community of faith. We are moving into a time of transition—a time that understandably might stir anxiety and uncertainty, and might even distract us from remembering who we are and what we are called to be, a people living within God’s covenant. So, we remember this church is never defined by a single person; instead, this church is always the covenant of people serving together. We remember we are not a personality driven church; instead, we are a mission and ministry driven church for which we all share in supporting. We know it can be tempting during a time of transition to hold back a bit, to take a leave of absence, to see how things turn out before we pledge time and gifts to the work of the church. Contrary to that impulse, it is more important than ever to be present to sing the hymns, to share in the daily caring, to reach out to the community in need, to pledge our financial support to the work of this church so that we will not only continue to be who God calls us to be, but also to be in the optimal position to welcome the new senior minister to First Christian Church, a church that has been and will continue to be financially generous, neighborly caring, and joyfully gathered. Next Sunday, as we begin to present our pledges and gifts for the work of this church in 2025, we will bear witness to Micah’s prophesy of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God because this is who we are.
In an article written for this week’s church newsletter, who we are as God’s covenant people is beautifully expressed by one of our high school seniors. He writes, “One thing I love about this church is our mission trips and how we are able to impact the community in just a week-long span…On a Tuesday, our group went out to southeast Norman and did yard work for a veteran who had lost his legs in a war and was living in a mobile home. He would have to crawl up his stairs before we built a ramp for him. That made me truly appreciate everything that I have and everything that I used to take for granted. After we got the ramp built and he went down it, the
smile on his face looked like a kid in a candy store. As he was going down it he said, “this is just like a roller coaster!” For someone who used to have to crawl up stairs, to be able to stay in his wheelchair and go in and out of his house, you could tell that he appreciated everything we did for him. Thank you, First Christian for the opportunity to make a difference in the life of our community, and around the country, and the world during our weeks of service.” (written by Caleb Sterling, Norman North High School Senior). I don’t know the name of the smiling man in the wheelchair, but perhaps his name is Micah because that story reminds us of what is quint-essentially good; and it reminds us of who God calls us to be.